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What is the trusted trader program?

The Trusted Trader program is a means to officially allow a restricted set of real-money transactions, namely items and crowdfunding packages that we have retired from our store, on the secondary market.

Why did Artcraft create the trusted trader program?

One of the biggest challenges for a provider of an MMO is that when these transactions go bad it creates customer service issues and PR problems. Also, the secondary market often leads to “gold farmers”, account hacking, in-game spamming and other activities which are detrimental to the game both experientially and financially. These problems and others have led to most games banning this activity and, even then, with limited success.

We have decided that our best recourse is to build a specific program to facilitate the transactions that we feel are acceptable. It’s our intention that this will reduce e-commerce that’s detrimental to our players and our game.

What are retired items and why can trusted traders buy and sell them?

Retired items are things that we sold at one time but that are no longer available in our store catalog.

For example, Kickstarter packages were available from us for a limited time but were retired last summer and new backers can no longer purchase them. Once we retired the Kickstarter pledge packages, it opens up an opportunity for people to buy and sell them; so long as our players either use the Trusted Trader program to avoid fraud, we have no issue with these transactions.

Retired packages are likely to have a higher value than current offerings since they contain more substantial rewards. (This links back to our stance that those who supported us early should be rewarded for their faith in us.)

Why make it an official program?

By putting a formal process in place, two things happen:

Players will be more likely to use trusted traders for their secondary transactions (as an alternative to unsanctioned companies that might engage in fraudulent activity)

ACE can set a high bar for acceptance into the program, and (once accepted) hold our trusted traders accountable for fraudulent activity (at the risk of being kicked out of the program). We can also keep these companies from spamming our game, our forums and engaging in deceptive marketing practices.
Note that players who elect to make purchases from non-trusted trader companies will be offered NO recourse in the case of virtual item theft or fraud.

Can trusted traders sell in-game goods?

No, they can only sell items (or pledge packages) that have been retired from the shop.

Does this mean that players can sell retired stuff to a trusted trader for real-world money? Is it ok for me to make a profit?

Yes, and yes. As long as you play by the rules, and deal only with our trusted traders, you can buy and sell retired items and pledge packages through this system (and profit from them).

Who are your trusted traders?

The handful of companies we will include in this program will be organizations that we have vetted and trust to complete any transaction done with a Crowfall customer. If we ever see a pattern of transaction issues or complaints, we will investigate and, if necessary, kick that company out of the program.

As stated in our Terms of Use, it is not permissible for anyone to use our forums to solicit for the buying, selling or trading of pledge packages or items. This includes linking to sites that offer third party-sales and trading – and that includes trusted traders. Trusted traders will be listed on our site so that they are easy to find, but they will not be permitted to advertise on our forums or in the game.

The process for selling a retired pledge package may include filling out a quick form that includes the username of your account and uploading a screenshot of your Backer Rewards to prove ownership of the item you are selling.

To buy an item, you will need to provide the username of the account to which it will be delivered. It is important to note that no legitimate service provider, including ArtCraft nor any of its official third-party service providers, will ever request your password.

What kind of company or individual can become a trusted trader?

We will look for individuals that:

have been in business for years

have their own substantial customer base

have been resellers for other companies before and have always worked within the policies of that game or company

we trust will be honorable in business dealings with both ArtCraft and with our customers

What can trusted traders do?

Trusted traders can:

Buy and sell any retired Crowfall package or item for real world money

Trade (not buy and sell for real currency) items for other items

What are trusted traders not permitted to do?

Trusted traders may not:

Set up an auction house; all prices must be fixed as they advertise for items/packages

Sell current (non-retired) pledge packages or items

Fail to complete any transaction as promised to a customer

How can I become a trusted trader?

ArtCraft is not accepting Trusted Trader applications at this time. Should we open the program up for applications in the future, we will update this FAQ with that information.

Who sets the ‘fixed price’?

The Trusted Traders will set their own prices for retired items and they may modify prices as they see fit.

How does the process work?

Each Trusted Trader will have a storefront that offers items for sale and offers to buy certain items. The process for buying and selling will be self-explanatory when the program launches.

Do trusted traders have access to users’ accounts?

No, Trusted Traders will not have access to users’ accounts. ArtCraft will provide them with a special API that will allow them to very limited access to our system, and they won't be able to initiate a transfer without the user’s confirmation.

Why does Artcraft charge a transaction fee?

Although ArtCraft will not be involved with the actual Trusted Trader transactions, we anticipate that our involvement will be necessary to resolve any disputes. That mediation will require Support resources, so we need to plan for those expenses as well as the cost for setting up and maintaining the Trusted Trader tools.

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